Thickener and a method of concentrating or thickening slimes of finely divided materials



Dec. 23, 1941. H. F. ADAMS THICKENER AND A METHOD OF CONCEN'I'RATINGr OR THICKENI SLIMES OF FINELY DIVIDED MATERIALS Filed Dec. A15, 193s 2 sheets-sheet 1Y In um l f ,Illwlililmmm W ATTORNEY.

Y Y F. ADAMS 2,267,516 THICKENER AND A METHOD OF CONCENTRATING OR THICKENI Dec. 23, 1941.

SLIMES OF FINELY DIVIDED MATERIALS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 NVENToR` 17E/VENT' 14o/JMS.

Filed Dec. l5, 1958 1 My invention relates-to a process *I l r ratus` for treating suspensions lorjgslirnesiof 'iinel'y 4 divided material: in acontinuous-,manner-to sepa-f ratef` the suspended materiali ffroiri-ithe4 liquid. f "f Iect'ing such `separation thas generally ooi'nprisedf `a circular shallowftakhavinga central bot-v tom outlet' for solids' to? which the bottom of `the tank slopes gradually rdow'nwardly, anda Patented 23, a

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` offhaiieethemateriali@ be elassiaedmanf peripheral overtiowflaunder Vintoi lwhich the Water` free fromthe separated'sollds overilows4 andis removed'.l To aid thea-movement 'of the solids thatfsettleon'the bottom *of the tank, in

apparatus whereby 'the nquidis aippneaA and .nr-`

- troducedintothe body.` of settling liquidin the*` 'classifier without entraining air or forming froth 0r foam andrin which classiiication ot material inthe settling tank into a rapidly settling area vor` column of "coarse yparticles anda slower wardly toward the ."central discharge 'opening-g rakes are provided and'l so 'inclined ,lalixsip-as;V tmify` are moved about the tank 'they heretoiorebeen introduced near'thecente'r `by being allowed,` to cascade into thebodyf of extremely thin pulp overlying'I the thicker pulp undergoing settlement. In thus pouringor cascading the incomingv liquid intothe tank it en" trains bubbles of air beneath the surface of, the

moreover causes agitation. 1 Y

with `the effectiveness ofthe separationfthe foam formed in this. way gathers onthe surfacefot the thickener solution and gradually overows with thesolution` going `tothe recoverytank or `precipitating plant. Ina eountercurrent dev J5: push hev 1,1rwiif'ef-- irial-slowlytoward-thecenter; In apparatus of the abovetype' theliquidcon-'f taining the suspended solids'torbe' `separated has i Y 4 is. asimilarsectiomtaken at right angles to 25.. liquid in the tank. This has a numberof dis-l advantages notably -inthat itcreates froth 'and settling ofslime or'iiner andl colloidal vparticles is avoided. and the general -averagerate oi' settlingvis increased. y i f The-various features'fof the: invention are `ilinstr-ated Vbyway ofexamplein the accompany` Fig.Lis-"ITE :ll'tical sectionof. .a `part of-a settlingtank' embodyingljapreterred form of the invention.' f llig.j2 isa planview of a part of the y settling :tank and distributing `mechanism shown in Fig. A1. Fig .3V is avertlcal `section through a part of the settling liquid and supply apparatus taken in a plane radial to the settling tank; Fig.

that of Fig'. 3. Fig. 5 isza section similar to that ofvFig. 3 of a distributing spout at the inner endl of the supply apparatus. Fix. 6 is'a section `taken at a right angle tothe plane ot Fig. 5. Fig. '7'` is l Y a vertical section of. a detail of ,the downspout.

Figs. -8 and 9, are sections o!V removable control In the accompanying vdrawings the invention `is illustrated as applied to a thickener or fclassii iler comprising a shallow.` tank I0 having an' outer 'cantation process Voizselgiarating liquids from.'

` solidsytrothnot only" contaminates the rliquid solution-but lttends to form scale in the pipe lines andlaunders thus retarding the solution ilow andvadversely laffecting the washingprocess. l v In avthickener ofthe above type in which the incoming Vliquid is supplied near the center and the clarified liquid `removed from thep'eriphery,y the4 ner sizes' and colloidal material drift `out toward `theperipliery and there form al column of` pulp `which fis viscous and settles slowly. Th ecoarser particles tend to'settle rapidly airthe` centerlgwhere they are introduced pension naar 'the periphery lWhich isf veryi slow in settling.f Y y f I6 bythe arms 2|. I the rakes rotate slowly to gradually push the;

wall II anda bottom 12. sloping inwardly and downwardlyfrom ythe peripheral wall II to centrai discharge outlets I3 forlthe separated solids.

The suspended' solids in-the liquid 11n the tank I0 settleon the bottom I2 vand arescraped by blades I4l of.t a rake I5. the bladesgbei'ng so in.A

clinedand therakes so rotatedaboutlthe tank overthe .bottom I2 as toggradually pushfthe sep-A arated material` towards Vthe center. The rake? I5 is supported from a rotating` arm I6 supported .at itsouter end on' a wheel II thatrunson the upper edge of V,the wallII andatitsinner and"` on a central pier or pedestal I 8; -The wheel IIA maybe rotated slowly by amotor I9 through suitable'f'gearing 20 ,to causeitffto roll on the peripheral wall Iliandthus rotate the rake,'or

the rake may be .driven by any other lsuitable means. .v The rake I5 is suspended from the arm Itwill be understood that` separated-f' `material toward the` center withV aV In my 4present 'inventiona-I" providea'-process minimumof agitation for tnendmd itself.

`In my invention as applied tothe above settling orclassifying tank, the liquid is supplied -ings 28 submerged. Y

Feed material supplied to the outer end of the through a stationary launder 22 to a rotating central launder 23 on the top of the pier or pedestal |8 and rotating with the rake supporting arm I6. The feed from the launder 22 passes to the circular launder 23 through a suitable distributing box 24. From the circular launder 23 the feed then ilows through a radial launder 25 carried by the rake supporting structure and extendingfrom the bottom of the launder 23 outwardly toward the periphery of the tank and thence downwardly through a connecting launder 26 to a return radial launder 21 from which it is" distributed to the body of liquid within the settling tank. f

From the launder 21 the feed liquid is supplied'to the settling tank in such a way as to avoid entrainment of air and as to distribute the coarser particles toward the peripheral part of the settling tank in such a manner as toentrain and carry downwardly the finer or colloidal particlesV in suspension in the tank while the finer particles are introduced at a lower level nearer the center so as to be entrained and carried downwardly by. the coarser particles settling near the center.

For this purpose the return launder 21 is provided with a number of sumps 28 at spaced intervals immediately below the launder 21 to receive liquid through orifices 29 in the latter, as shown in Fig. 3. The launder 21 is provided near its inner end with'an overflow dam 38, as shown in Fig. 5, to maintain a level of liquid in the launder 21 so long as the latter is in operation and, therefore,v to keep the orifices or openlaunder 21 by the distributing launder or pipe 25 gradually and slowly ilows toward the inner end while in the meantimefportions of it settle into the respectivespaced sumps 28. From thebottom ofeach sump 28 there depends a downspout 3| into which the Vfeedflows or settles from the sump 28. The rate of feed of the ma' terial from the sump 28 intov the downspoutv 3| may be controlled by a removableorice plate 32 having an orifice 33 of .selected size, as shown in Fig. 7. Figs. 8 and 9 illustrate orifice plates having different and larger sized orii'lces.

'I'he .downspout 3| is closedat its Vlower end by a bottom plate 34, butis provided Vwith side orifices 35, Figs. 3, 4 and '7, through which the feed may flow sidewise into the liquid in the separating tank with a'minimum of disturbance thereto.. The downspouts 3| and sumps 28 are all of substantially the same construction,` but those nearer the center of the'settling tank extend deeper into the liquid in the tank 0.

At the end ofthe launder 21 and between the end Adownspout 3| and the overflow dam 30, a

downspout 36 is provided at one side of the' launder 21 andcommunicating therewith through an orilce 31 near the bottom and which is, therefore, submerged 'in the-feed liquid. The feed entering the upper part of the downspout 36' flows through aV valve plate 38 which is controlled by a valve 39 depending from afloat 40.

side outlets 42 similar to those of the clownspouts 3|.

In the operation of the method and apparatus, the feed supplied through the launder 22 to the circular launder 23 flows outwardly through the delivery pipes 25 and 26 to the end of the launder 21 near the periphery of the tank, thence it flows inwardly toward the centerof the tank. During the flow of material in the launder 21 there is a progressive settling of suspended' material, the heavier or coarser particles settling first and the lighter or liner particles settling later. 'Consequently, the coarser particles settle into the sumps 28 and downspouts 3| nearer the outer with them the finer suspended or colloidal material. The downspouts nearer the outer end of the launder 21, therefore, deliver below the lsurface of liquid in the tank and above therslime level, which is indicated approximately by the line43.r As the heavier particles settle into the slime below the line 43 they tend to carry downwardly the colloidal and slow settling particles.

The feed delivered through the downspouts nearer the center contain the colloidal and slowerV particles or suspended material being delivered at lower levels and nearer the center.. The clarified liquid overflows the upper .edge of a weir ring 44 into `a peripheral launder 45 on the inner surface of the tank Wall from which it is withdrawn through a suitable outlet.

While the invention has been illustrated as applied to a Vspecific type of thickener, it will be understod that it can be applied to similar thickeners and thatit is not necessary to have a rotating radial launder. The invention provides ailexible method ,of introducing feed to a thickener in such a manner as to eliminate areas of slowsettling material and to provide for a higher average settling efficiency.

Various modifications maybe madeby those more rapidly settling material into the upper part' and the less rapidly settling material into the lower part of a body of liquid in which said suspended materials are being settled.v Y 'f f 2. A method of separating suspended-materials from a liquid which comprises maintaining a body of said liquidin which suspended material settles and is removed and from the upper part of which liquid is removed, introducing into said body at vone 4level liquid havingV more lrapidly settling material and at a lower level liquidV having less rapidly settling material.

3. Apparatus of the type described which comprises a settling tank having a central sludge out.

distributing channel to deliver into said tank belet and a peripheral overow for clarifying iiquid and a conduit for feed liquid extending over said settling tank toward the center thereof and rotatable about said center and having delivery spouts extending downwardly at intervals into said tank, the delivery spouts nearer the center of said tank extending deeper thereinto than the delivery spouts nearer the periphery and means for supplying feed liquid to said conduit near its outer end.

4. A settling tankhaving a peripheral overflow and a central sludge discharge and a radial distributor rotatable about a center in said tank and comprising a supply -channel extending outwardly from the central part to the peripheral part of said tank and a distributing channel extending inwardly from` the outer end of said supply channel, means to maintain the liquid y in said distributing channel at a predetermined level and conduits at spaced intervals along said low the liquid level in said tank and communicatingwith said distributing channel substantially below the liquid level in said channel.

5. A thickener having a peripheral overflow and a central sludge discharge, a radially extending distributing channel rotatableover said thickener, means to supply liquid and suspended material to the outer end of said distributing channel, a dam at the inner end of said distributing channel, a number of distributing spouts extending'from a side of said channel to below the liquid level of said thickener and communicating with the lower partof said channel, control valves, one for each of said distributing spouts to control the ilow of liquid therethrough to prevent the liquid level in said channel from falling and maintain it above its communications with said respective spouts. i HENRY F. ADAMS. 

